


The Way Haven Inn

by Elfriend



Series: Inspired in part by Emu Family Supernatural RP on Twitter [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:47:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29952270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elfriend/pseuds/Elfriend
Summary: Jody and Donna find themselves having to put their long-time dream of creating a haven for hunters, (and others touched by the supernatural), on the fast track, when Jody is forced to resign
Series: Inspired in part by Emu Family Supernatural RP on Twitter [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2197374





	1. Know When to Fold'em

The word Sheriff, emblazoned along the length of her Jeep stung as Jody strode through the parking lot of City Hall. 

The meeting with the Mayor had not gone well.

Adopting a neutral expression, Jody got in and drove away. Anybody passing by would only see their no-nonsense Sheriff, not a woman for whom everything was about to change.

She’d had the job a long time, by certain standards, and it _ was _ a political one, after all. Nobody ran against her, as long as she was in the good graces of the powers that be, and she had weathered the political waters of several mayoral administrations just by virtue of her pragmatic competence. As long as she did her job, nobody looked for any reason to keep her from doing it.

All that changed when Mayor Forsythe was elected. She didn’t appreciate how entrenched Sheriff Mills was in the fabric of a city she intended to leave her own stamp on. It was nothing personal...

Except it felt really personal.

The first inkling of the shift in the winds of Jody’s political fortune came with the outside auditor who showed up unannounced at the station a few weeks ago, along with his letter of introduction from the Mayor, and the authority to review the case files from the past five years. 

There had never been any scandal attached to her performance - that anyone knew of, but it turns out if someone is looking to create one, they will always find a way. 

Jody’s closure rate was, officially, on the low side. Unofficially, quite a few cases had been resolved quite successfully by the salt and burn methods of a Sheriff who is also a hunter.

The “problem” of her close rate was leaked to The Ledger before she was even asked to meet with Arlene Forsythe. She wasn’t invited to chat over lunch, which is how her interactions with Mayors tended to be handled previously, she was just told to report. The combination of the leak, and the manner of her summons, telegraphed the end of her career in Law Enforcement. At least in Sioux Falls.

Mayor Forsythe was not alone when Jody arrived, there was a man with her who carried himself like he had military training. Mayor Forsythe introduced him as Jacob Bland, then he politely took his leave. Jody was convinced the overlap in their appointments was not coincidental, and she learned quickly that her instincts were correct.

Mayor Forsythe started by stating, with false sincerity, her concern that the article in The Ledger might undermine public confidence in Jody. The Mayor’s Office, she said, (as if the office itself had an opinion), was troubled by any negative perception of the Sheriff.

At one point, the Mayor made an oblique reference to her “unconventional family,” which Jody took, rightly, as a warning. Nobody knew for sure she’d used her position to keep Alex, Claire, and Kaia out of trouble, but it wouldn’t take much to make it appear that she had, particularly since they had most definitely benefited, simply due to the deference granted to her badge.

The meeting concluded when Arlene Forsythe ever-so-casually mentioned that she was considering endorsing Jacob Bland in the upcoming election.

Uh huh

And it was done, just like that. Jody could fight for her job by devoting herself to an exhausting campaign, leaving the girls’ lives opened up to scrutiny. Even if she succeeded without the support of the Mayor, which was unlikely, she’d still have to work with the woman. The unspoken request was for Jody to make things easy for everyone and go away quietly.

Jody pulled into the driveway at home, but stayed in her vehicle for a few moments, considering. 

Alex would be fine, right? She was working full time and had just earned her RN. A far cry from the young woman she’d first met, Jody continued to wonder what might be going on under the surface of Alex’s seeming stability and calm. 

Alex had clearly expressed her desire to be rid of the hunter’s life, but it was unavoidable if she stayed, and she didn’t seem eager to leave, anymore. Jody felt selfish for exposing her to the horrors she’d tried to leave behind, selfish for being happy she was staying, selfish for relying on her constant willingness to help in whatever way she could.

Meanwhile, Claire was on the road a lot. She was almost certainly using one of the illegal lines of credit the boys had shown her how to set up in order to pay her way. They both chose not to bring it up. As law enforcement, Jody couldn’t condone credit card fraud, but Claire considered it earned income - a tax on the muggles for her services, and Jody understood it was a necessary trade-off for a hunter. 

Patience had a generous scholarship, but she chose to live at home to keep down expenses. James had occasionally sent money, which Jody insisted Patience put away in her savings account. She could have chosen to live on her own if she’d wanted to, but she had gotten attached to her adoptive family, even packed in as they were in the close quarters of Jody’s small house. 

Her struggle to manage her psychic gift with nobody to help her learn, resulted in chronic headaches, but Patience never complained. That woman was relentless whenever she set a goal, pushing herself to excel. Probably too much. 

Before Kaia had ever crossed paths with them, she had gotten by on her own for a long time. She likely would have been just fine if her dreamwalking hadn’t manifested in the most excruciating ways possible. 

She’d been paid under-the-table since before Kaia was old enough to work legally, at a small, family-run, diner where she’d managed everything from marketing, to bookkeeping, to purchasing, and whatever else was needed. Even when she got into trouble, they always took her back because she was that good at it.

Now, however, she was having trouble finding work. 

Turns out when you disappear for a couple of years while there is a warrant out for your arrest, and you have no above-board work experience, your resume is not very appealing. Also, Jody had no doubt that Kaia’s gifts pained her as much as Patience’s did, and the extended emotional and physical trauma she’d endured had to be playing havoc with her state of mind, though you’d hardly know it to look at her.

Jody didn’t want to upend any of their lives. They all deserved the stability they’d each lost too young when the supernatural came calling. Seems like she didn’t have much choice anymore, though.

Time for a family meeting. But first...

Jody texted Donna. “Hey, call me when you have a few minutes, ok?”

Donna responded almost immediately “you betcha! I should be home by seven”

Jody sent a thumbs up emoji and headed in, where Ranger greeted her enthusiastically. The Canaan dog was a herding animal, happiest when the whole flock was at home.

She squatted down, offering scruff squunches and some pet-mom-voice endearments, and was rewarded with sloppy kisses and a few thwaps from a wildly wagging tail. 

“Thanks, I needed that, girl!”


	2. In Good Hands

Donna ended the rather consequential Facetime with Jody.

They’d been plotting and planning for years, but it seemed as though circumstances had popped the training wheels clean off their once casual scheming.

“I guess we’re gonna have to get movin’, then,” she commented aloud.

Biting her lip, distractedly, she pondered the uncomfortable conversation that needed to happen if she ever intended to be able to bring herself to leave Stillwater.

She texted Doug. “So, I was hoping we might could get together and talk tomorrow,” she sent.

Then quickly typed, “It’s important, but it’s not about us,” just to head off any misunderstanding right outta the gate.

The response came quickly, “Ok”

“Not givin’ me much to work with there, Doug,” she said to herself.

“Lunch? Mexican? 1pm?” She sent. He’d know the restaurant without her saying.

“Ok”

Seriously?

She typed, “Okey doke, tomorrow, then”

The only way they were going to get their plan under way would be if she and Jody sold all their property - both houses and both cabins - and quickly. She made a call to a real estate agent she was acquainted with and set up an appointment for the next evening.

After that she made herself some soup, and a bowl of popcorn, and started filling out the request forms she’d brought home ages ago, the ones for an extended leave of absence from the Stillwater Sheriff’s Office.

Next day she found Doug already there when she walked into Nacho Mamas. Seeing his sweet face sent a pang through her heart, but she shoved down the emotional complications. This was business.

He was sitting at their usual table...

“Business, Hanscum,” she mumbled.

Doug stood awkwardly as she approached the table. She smiled tightly as she sat. “Hiya, Doug.”

“Hi, Donna,” He settled in his seat. “What’re we doing, here?”

The wait staff always recognized them, and Marie brought them their usual drinks with a big basket of chips and a bowl of salsa,

Donna forced a cheerful grin, “Hiya, Marie, thanks! How’s your Mom feeling? Surgery go ok?”

“It went great! She’s anxious to get the other hip replaced, now!” Marie smiled, “I’ll tell her you were asking after her, Sheriff.”

“You do that, now!”

Marie walked away, and Doug just said, “Donna?”

“I wanna talk about your career, Doug. Ya can’t tell me you’re happy doin’ private security.”

Doug had started shaking his head before Donna was finished speaking. “I know what you’re getting at, and I can’t do it, Donna! It’s not that I can’t work with you, I just can’t watch you doin’ what you do. It’s too hard.”

Donna looked down at her hands for a moment and said without looking up, “What if I wasn’t here?” Now she looked up at him.

“Whadaya mean? You’re the Sheriff! You love being Sheriff!”

“Oh, I’m not done with law enforcement by a long shot, and I don’t think you are, either,” Donna nodded decisively. “Thing is, me and Jodes have some plans, and I’m going to take a sabbatical. Could be I don’t come back to Stillwater, but I can’t leave the town in just anyone’s hands.”

Doug looked as though he were about to speak, but Donna held up a hand, “you got into this to help people, and you’re a damn good deputy. They’re gonna let me appoint the acting Sheriff, and I want it to be you. Once you’re in there, if I don’t come back, I think the community would vote for you to stay.”

Doug flushed adorably and Donna felt another pang, “It’s not that I’m not flattered, Donna, but...”

“Don’t,” Donna interrupted. “Don’t say no right now. I can’t move on if Stillwater isn’t in good hands, and it needs to be someone I trust, and someone who knows when to call for outside help.”

Doug flinched.

“It’s important, Doug,” Donna said apologetically, “You don’t have to be a hunter, but you can save lives if you know when to call one.”

He shrugged uncomfortably in acknowledgment.

“Just think about it, ok?”

“Yeah, Donna, ok. I’ll think about it”


End file.
